Huntress: Origins

Huntress (Collected Editions)

by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton (Illustrator)

The earliest stories of Huntress, one of the Gotham City heroes featured in the upcoming Warner Bros. film Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, are collected in a new title.

Huntress is one of the Gotham City heroes featured in the upcoming Warner Bros. film Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.
From the parallel world known in the DC Universe as Earth-2, the Huntress is a unique hero -- the daughter of a hero and a villain: Batman and Catwoman. Helena Wayne was trained by her parents to become a superb athlete, and studied law with the hope of bringing criminals to justice. But after Catwoman is killed by a blackmailer who tried to force her into returning to her life of crime, Helena dons a costume of her own. Now, with her crossbow as her chosen weapon, the Huntress vows to avenge her mother's death. This title collects 1970s stories from DC Super Stars #17, Batman Family #18-20 and Wonder Woman #271-287, #289, #290, 294 and 295.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2006

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

By day, Helena Wayne is a young Gotham City lawyer. By night, she follows in the footsteps of her parents, fighting crime as... The Huntress!

As I get older, I get more and more curious about some of the lesser known characters in DC's past. I have a couple of the Wonder Woman issues featuring the Huntress and I know about her past from Who's Who. I was pretty excited when this collection was solicited and pre-ordered it right way.

The Huntress is the daughter of the Batman and Catwoman from Earth-2. This book collects her tragic origin in DC Super Stars 17 plus stories from Batman Family 18-20 and Wonder Woman 271-287, 289-290, and 294-295.

Over the course of the book, The Huntress takes on super villains, including one of her father's greatest foes, as well as more mundane criminals but her greatest foe is her feelings for Harry Sim, the District Attorney. On the surface, The Huntress seems a little redundant, a little too much like Batgirl, but she's her own woman. The Huntress carries a crossbow and acts more like her mother Catwoman at time than her Dark Knight Daddy.

Joe Staton and Paul Levitz were clearing having fun on this run. Hell, who wouldn't? Helena Wayne is a clean slate to work with, building on the Batman legacy without leaning on it too hard. It feels kind of like a younger Batman without the usual Batman trappings like the Batmobile and the Batcave. Staton's art holds up very well and Levitz's writing almost makes The Huntress feel like a Marvel book. The Huntress is an underdog a lot of the time but knows her way around a scrape.

My only major gripe with the book is that the Who's Who entry in the back has her real name as Selina Wayne in the header. That and there isn't enough Bronze Age Huntress material for three or four more volumes.

Huntress: Origins is a fun Bronze Age book and a prime example of what we lost with Crisis. Four out of five crossbow bolts.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects all of the early appearances of the Bronze era Huntress. Before Crisis, Huntress was Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman of Earth 2. Helena becomes the Huntress after her mother is murdered while being blackmailed into one last crime. She's a lawyer by day, fighting crime by night in these stories that feel mostly like a young Batman without the fancy cave or car. She mostly fights generic villains made for her while teaming up with Power Girl and Robin at times. She does go up against the Joker which is pretty exciting. Joe Staton's art holds up well, better than his later work in the 90's.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The All-Stars revival of the '70s has been reprinted a few times now. It was a delightful, albeit dated, look at the classic Earth-2 JSA, for the first time aging the old heroes and introducing a new generation. This volume of Huntress stories is practically a sidebar to that second All-Stars run, featuring all three of the younger heroes (Huntress, Power Girl, and Robin). Unfortunately, it's much more forgettable than the All-Stars revival.

I mean, there's nothing precisely wrong with this volume. Levitz does a great job of creating Helena, making her a successful lawyer and giving her a supporting cast. The stories are at their heights when dealing with Helena's Earth-2 family, particularly her parents and Dick. Unfortunately, most of the drama (including the death of Earth-2 Batman) occur over in the Adventure Comics run that followed the second run of All-Stars, so it becomes increasingly obvious that this is a sidebar, not the main story.

And Helena's adventures on her own, fighting against a variety of dull villains just aren't that memorable, the sole exception being the plotline about the discovery of her secret identity, which was pretty daring for the time.

So, an OK volume, and one that I might even put in my collection if DC printed it to match their new HC edition of the All-Stars run ... but not one that I feel a great need to reread.

[Mark Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated higher than it should be, I’m sure. Mainly due to warm and fuzzies from when I read these as a kid. I’d sure enjoy a second volume completing the stories.

[ziad · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s nice to know it a different world Bruce and Selina had a good life together. I’m really starting to like Huntress / Helena Wayne I hope somehow they add her in the real world.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun for reasons of the simplicity of story-telling at the time ('cause let's admit it, comics these days sure as hell aren't straightforward) and the kick-arse Helena Wayne, wonder child of Bruce and Selina, who by day is a lawyer, and by night instils fear into the streets of Gotham as the Huntress! Thrilling stuff!

I admit I wanted to see more interaction between Helena and her parents, but unfortunately they are quickly removed from the story as a pretext for Helena's quest for justice.

Also loving the seventies fashion sense seeping through the artwork!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a teenager reading the stories in this collection when originally published in the 1970s and '80s, the draw for me was that Helena Wayne was not only the daughter of Bruce and Selina Kyle Wayne, aka Batman and a reformed Catwoman, but she was also a member of my all-time favorite superhero team, the Justice Society of America. Re-reading the stories today (in 2020) gives me a glimpse at how much better I believe comics were in that less complicated era. With mostly 8- and 9-page chapters, Paul Levitz and Joe Staton managed to tell stories that kept both the action moving forward and the drama simmering from issue to issue.

If there is one moment where Levitz stumbles a bit, it is in the moment where Dick Grayson/Robin, who has returned to Gotham City to help Helena/Huntress fight the Joker, admits he may have some not-so-brotherly feelings for Helena. Levitz's portrayal of Robin is as a man in his late twenties or early thirties, which is incongruous with most Earth-Two stories that have Grayson becoming Robin in 1940, making him a forty-something-year-old man and old enough to be Helena's dad. That Greg-and-Marcia-Brady-movie-moment aside -- and to be fair, Gerry Conway was the one who de-aged Robin first, in the pages of All-Star Comics -- these are some great stories.

Highly recommended!

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a long time to read b/c I stopped and read library books in the middle. It took me a bit to get back to it. I was first introduced to Huntress in Birds of Prey, the Helena Bertinelli version of the character. I liked her and thought she was interesting. Then via the awful (although I still love it) Birds of Prey television series I found out that the original version of the character was Helena Wayne. I bought this book years ago at a comic book store and I finally got to it.

I liked this version of the character. I am wondering if there are more of them b/c I want to read more. While it isn't necessarily the greatest story I have read in comics, it is obvious that the writers and artists loved the characters and I think that's what kept me interested enough to make sure I got back to it.

[Reese Lightning · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the contemporary "Huntress: Year One" is one of my favorites for its depth, delving into Catholicism and questions about faith and love, this vintage Huntress is more campy fun. Equally enjoyable!

[Ellamia:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

baby’s first DC! it was ok, the joker stuff was good!! Also as this was a collection of random huntress adventures it maybe wasn’t the best one to pick up but quite cool to read some 70s comics!

[T.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about the original pre-Crisis Huntress, but I prefer the Helena Bertinelli version of this character. The crimefighter depicted here is kind of bland, even if she has a sharp outfit and sharper weapon. Maybe it's because the 1989 Cavalieri edition so defined her for me (I wish DC would collect that run in a tpb) - but Helena Wayne feels more like an Elseworlds story. Still, there's some fun stuff here - secret identity romance problems, late 70s/early 80s style superhero action, even a visit to the Batcave.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of the first Huntress stories including her origin. Interesting quick stories with nice art.

[Tyler Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about The Huntress going into this collection, but I was definitely not disappointed. I really like that she’s Batman and Catwoman’s daughter, but I also feel like the writers relied too much on fans wanting to connect to her parents and not to her. I wish she would’ve been able to grow more as her own hero. With that being said, her costume is awesome and I love the crossbow (even though she decides to never use it again halfway through the book, and it’s for a very stupid reason). I thought her being a lawyer was really cool, but a little impractical. Ain’t no hero got time for that, but I guess that argument applies to 75% of superhero alter egos. Her villains were pretty solid and I loved the appearance of The Joker. I liked the appearance of Robin as well, but his relationship with Helena felt a bit incestuous, so I don’t know how I feel about it still. It’s nice they have each other’s backs though. I also wished this graphic novel would’ve had the different versions of The Huntress. Although having superhero parents is pretty cool, I think the Bertanelli family origin is more gripping (believe it or not). Overall it’s a solid read and it’s great to see a female side character get the spotlight after so many years. Now where is The Huntress and Batgirl team up? I’ll wait.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

First met the Huntress in the Power Girl/Huntress team up, showing their origins on Earth-2 and inadvertent journey to Earth-1 during the war with Darkseid. Like the writing, and art but as an introduction, later appearances and series (e.g., with Birds of Prey) somewhat more interesting in that they develop the character more.

[Jessie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun but a bit dated

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman and catwoman are gone so their daughter becomes Hunteress.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

So different from the modern Huntress, but I remember finding these originally as a back-up feature to old Wonder Woman issues. Some of it is definitely dated, but still fun.

[Soph Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I recommend it 😸😁, I really like the character Helena Wayne

[Kaleigh Norkum-Mathieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation of stories was fun to read through for a few reasons. Before this book I had previously thought that the origin of the Huntress was the Helena Bertinelli version, where she was the daughter of a Italian-American mob boss who turned into a vigilante when her father murdered her significant other. I had heard of the other version of her being Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle's daughter on Earth 2 from the DC New 52 series with her and Power Girl but I was surprised to open this book and see that this was in fact the original version of the character.
I found the beginning of the book slow at first. I was not sure how I liked the character because I did not find much character development (besides the decision to become a superhero in the first place) compared to the other version of her that found the character rebelling against a patriarchal family/organization and her struggles with the Catholic faith. As the story went on and she became to establish herself outside of Batman's shadow I began to like this version more and more. I would have appreciated, however, to actually see Helena in a courtroom since she is a lawyer (although as a public interest research firm I knew it would not happen).
I especially enjoyed the parts with Power Girl, I always like reading about female friendships that are focused on women working together instead of always being pitted against each other. Power Girl was portrayed fabulously, she was the spunky, tempered superhero that I fell in love with in the first place. To see her and Helena work together was a joy.
I thoroughly recommend this book if you are looking at female superhero's that are not Wonder Woman. This is an excellent first glance at the character. It is also worth it to check her out in the Birds of Prey run, the Huntress: Year One series, and her other solo title as it also highlights the complexities of the other version of the character nicely.

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that I love the original Huntress Helena Wayne. These tales show how much potential there is with this character, as birthed by Catwoman and Batman. I enjoyed the entire volume immensely. My only gripe is that I wish they'd chosen to keep Catwoman and Batman alive, and not made Batman retire, so we could have seen her interactions with the other Bat family characters, including Robin, and see her on missions with them all, as well as solo. My hope is that DC will go that root in current continuity, but I doubt they will. I always liked the idea of Batman having a girl who also became a superhero alongside the different Robins, particularly his son Damian that he had with Talia al Ghul. So much story potential!

[Korynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this heroine, who is written very convincingly, despite the ridiculous idea of a heiress lawyer who is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, taking up the mantle of the Huntress to fight crime. The cheesecake is not exceedingly obvious and she is really very liberated and modern. There are a couple of confusing moments at the beginning. In the introduction of the character her mother dies but her father lives. By the next issue, her father is dead too, how is unclear. Oh well, so much for editors.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects the Huntress short stories from Batman Family and Back Up stories in Wonder Woman from the 1970s. The stories are incredibly simply but also fun. While the Batgirl comics from earlier Batgirl was a bit grittier and more detective-like in feel, this one is written to be more of a swashbuckling Superhero story while also acknowledging the challenges Huntress faces in her personal life. Overall, these are fun relaxing reads for when you're in the mood for something simple.

[Shannon Muir · Rating 4 out of 5]

While now no longer in the current timeline this version of the Huntress got me interested in comics. As Batman and Catwoman's daughter of Earth 2 she had amazing appeal. Looking at the stories years later they still hold up.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, and I like the Earth 2 Huntress's backstory.
Some of the stories were heart-tugging as she deals with her choices and her journey to avenge the ones she loved.
This is my favourite Huntress.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, I love both versions of Helena, but my favorite is when she's Batman and Catwoman's daughter.

This graphic novel tells the story of her first few years as the Huntress.

[Annice22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite Helena Wayne not being my favorite version of the Huntress, I thought the stories were good. I also like the guest appearances by Dick Grayson and Alfred.

[Julie Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

Excellant story
Retro art
Easy reading
Always wanted to read the original huntress comic now I finally have! Dream come true!

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the early adventures of huntress

[Michael Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun reading these again. Loved this character as the Earth-Two offspring of Batman and Catwoman. I still have my Joe Staton sketch from back in the early 1980s of her.